2018 - A Year in Review

2018 has been a pretty good year for me sewing-wise! Not such a great year blog-wise though (sorry poor, neglected blog!) I thought I would just do a quick run-through of what I made and what I got uptown over the year. I enjoy reading these kind of posts so here is my first go at writing one!

I started off the year doing some pattern testing for Beth of Sew DIY. I am a regular pattern tester for Beth and I love her patterns. I tested the Lou Box Dress 2, but also love the look of the Lou Box Dress 1 and have one printed out and ready to cut into, that's one for 2019...

Wendy Ward released her latest book, A Beginner's Guide to Sewing with Knitted Fabrics and I immediately sewed up the Kinder Cardigan. This has got a lot of wear actually and I need to make another one!

I managed to get all the way through Me Made May, successfully wearing at least one item of me-made clothing everyday. May was also when I had my first post as one of Sarah's Like Sew Amazing bloggers. I was so honoured to be asked to join the Blog Squad and there are some fabulous bloggers on the team. Sarah's shop has gone from strength to strength this year, culminating in her opening a physical shop in Bristol. I can't wait to visit next year!

I continued to be part of the Simple Sew Bloggers too, headed up by lovely Gabby of Gabberdashery. I made several things this year, one of my favourites being the Kimono dress that I hacked into a blouse.

I attended my first proper sewing meet up, The Sewing Weekender, on Bank Holiday August weekend. I was initially so nervous about going but had such an amazing time and met some fabulous sewists that I've admired from afar for a while!

I made one of my favourite dresses whilst I was there, a Colette Moneta dress in gorgeous jersey from Like Sew Amazing.

I also made my first coat this year, which I wore to my first Sew Brum meet up! That was such a busy day, but so great getting to chat and go fabric shopping.

I attended the Sewcialite Soiree in Bristol and made a sparkly dress specially! Head over to the Minerva Crafts Blog to read all about that one!

Overall I have had a great year, I've taken part in some fun challenges, been part of excellent blog teams and met a lot of sewing people in real life! I'm looking forward to more of the same in 2019! I would like to say a massive thank you to everyone who has read my blog, followed me on Instagram and chatted to me. You have made this so much more fun for me and it has been a pleasure being part of the sewing community for another year! Happy new year everyone!

Like Sew Amazing Blog Squad - Velvet Friday Pattern Company Lucida Dress

I decided to take part in The Little Red Dress project this year, and found this beautiful deep red stretch velvet from Like Sew Amazing that I thought would be really festive. I have recently purchased the Friday Pattern Company Lucida dress and thought it would be the perfect match for this fabric. 

The velvet has quite a short pile, which makes it easier to work with. It has a good amount of stretch and a really decent recovery. The colour is beautiful, really rich and jewel toned. I didn’t really do anything differently when working with this fabric, I just treated it like a normal jersey. It is a little bit more slinky, but when the right sides are together they stick to each other, meaning it doesn’t shift around.

I cut the pieces out with the fabric folded, right sides together. I bought 2 metres of fabric but managed to get the dress out of 1.5 metres. I lengthened the bodice and the skirt by an inch each and the sleeves by 3 inches. The pieces need to be cut out all facing the same way as the velvet has a nap, I chose to have the nap running down so that the dress feels smooth when you run your hand from top to bottom. 

This was my first time sewing up a pattern by Friday Pattern company and I was really impressed. It’s such a simple dress, but the instructions are clear and thorough, it’s definitely beginner friendly. The ruching on the front bodice is created by threading ties through channels and it can be adjusted to suit your figure / style. I think it is so flattering and very effective for such a simple approach.

I lengthened the sleeves as I’m self-conscious about my upper arms (I don’t think I’m alone in this!) and I just cut a line 3 inches lower than the pattern piece when I was cutting out the fabric. 

I lengthened the sleeves as I’m self-conscious about my upper arms (I don’t think I’m alone in this!) and I just cut a line 3 inches lower than the pattern piece when I was cutting out the fabric. 

My overlocker is currently being fixed so I sewed this up completely on my sewing machine. One thing that is worth mentioning is that the bodice is self lined, so in places the seam allowances get quite bulky (with 6 layers of velvet) so it is worth grading them so that they sit well.

Overall I’m really pleased with this and can’t wait to wear it out! It’s ridiculously soft and comfy to wear but I still feel dressed up! I think that’s the perfect combination for Christmas party wear!




Jenny x